Humanities 1301
Dr. Peggy Brown
Written half of the exam to be handed in, hard copy, on Monday, February 14.
Deadline: no later than 4:00 Monday, February 14, in my office if you did not turn in
your paper during class.
You will likely find this assignment unusual in that it will ask you to go beyond just
repeating what you have learned in class. Certainly you will not be able to respond
unless you have familiarized yourself with the assigned works, and we have
discussed both in class, but the way you earn your grade is to transform the work
into a modern game or model (if you are just not into games) for solving a world
problem. I ask you to view a Ted Lecture that explains what I mean. You will earn
your grade by thinking creatively. You may write to me to ask questions if you get
stuck. And you may discuss the solution that you seek (in order to satisfy the
requirements of this exam) with classmates or friends. But the writing must be your
own.
You will need to refer to either the Epic of Gilgamesh or to Antigone. The choice is
yours, but you will need to apply information learned in the class and from the texts
themselves and explain your idea with detail and examples from the text or your
notes. Loosen up and think. Now, Part I: a Ted Lecture.
PART I
Watch the Ted Lecture: “Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world” at the
following website:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_w
orld.html OR you can Google Ted Lectures and search for Jane McGonigal and
click on her lecture with the above title. Make notes as you listen.
PART II:
Write an essay that addresses the questions posed below on the subject of your
choice. Let the questions included in the assignment lead you. I repeat: one essay,
your choice of subjects.
Choice One:
(The actual essay assignment follows the questions.)
Consider the following questions:
In the section that you read for class, how could his stages in the epic recall Joseph
Campbell’s stages of the hero’s journey?
Why does Enkidu have to have sex and drink socially to become civilized?
Why do Gilgamesh and Enkidu have to wrestle to bond and become partners in the
adventure?
Why do the two have to leave immediately to go confront and kill the giant
Humbaba?
What is the role of the love goddess?
What is the significance of Enkidu’s death, after which Gilgamesh sets off on his
quest?
Why does Gilgamesh have to go to the equivalent of Hades—crossing over the river
into the land of the immortals to visit Utnapishtim, a land from which no man has
returned.
Why does he get the branch, and then how does he lose it?
What is Gilgamesh’s gift? Be sure to read the end of the epic.
How could Gilgamesh’s story be a game as Jane McGonigal describes gaming?
How does Gilgamesh resemble a hero in a movie or game in your experience?
Can you see how Jane McGonigal’s concept of the “epic win” applies to Gilgamesh at
any point in the epic?
YOUR ESSAY ASSIGNMENT: Once you have thought through all these stages and
reminded yourself of Campbell’s account of the hero’s journey, how could a game
using a hero based on Gilgamesh end one problem in our world today (use the
theory put forth by McGonigal)? Write an essay explaining your idea. Have fun with
this idea, but be sure to draw in details of the Gilgamesh epic. Your grade will be
based on your knowledge of the basic story of Gilgamesh and your creative thinking
in applying the epic to an actual game intended to end a world problem (see grading
criteria at the end of this document). Remember, you are to apply McGonigal’s idea
that games can save the world. Warning: this is not your usual exam. This is a thinkoutside-the-box exercise (with necessary detail drawn from what you have learned
in the classroom). You may use any notes from class—do not use notes from the
internet without citing the source of those notes—I can check sources easily.
Plagiarism is a serious offense for which you receive a zero and can be dismissed
from this college. That record will follow the offender the rest of her/his life.
Choice Two:
Can you see how Campbell’s account of the hero’s journey applies to Antigone?
The first part of your exam is to think of Antigone in Campbell’s terms. Consider the
following questions. Your exact assignment will follow the questions.
How does Antigone’s birth fit Campbell’s idea of the hero’s journey?
How does her conversation with Ismene represent the call?
How does her act of burying her brother represent crossing the threshold?
How does she represent Greek values of glory and therefore become a
representative hero?
How does her conversation with Creon represent a trial?
How does her imprisonment represent the belly of the whale? How does she return,
even though she is dead?
What is her apotheosis?
What is her gift to the city of Thebes?
YOUR ESSAY ASSIGNMENT: Antigone acts to bury her brother, but she saves
Thebes in the process (reread the Teiresias section). Write an essay that explains
how a modern day Antigone figure could, by her actions, solve one specific problem
in our world. A figure out of history that works as a model is Rosa Parks (do not use
this model for your essay). Use the logic in Jane McGonigal’s video to design her role
to end the specific problem that you identify. Explain the process in detail in your
essay. Be sure to show how, in stages similar to the tragedy that you read, your hero
would address the problem. Be sure that you use the ideas shown in Antigone to
explain the similarities in action.
Note: this is not your usual exam. There is no right answer. Instead, you will show
that you can think through Antigone by viewing her heroic acts as a model for
solving a problem today. You are looking for AN answer, not THE answer.
This course is not about you searching for the right answer; it asks you to create an
answer that fits the question and support your idea with proof from the text and
discussions we have had in class. You may use your notes to prepare your well
developed, well explained response. If you use any online sources, you MUST show
the source and give the internet address. To fail to cite your source is plagiarism (I
can check copied work easily), and that earns a zero. Plagiarism can also get a
person kicked out of college. That record follows the offender the rest of his/her life.
GRADING CRITERIA
1.
Essay is organized and uses examples that explain
the way the world problem is solved using either
Gilgamesh or Antigone as models for the modern
day hero.
Possible points: 15
____________
2.
Reference to specific language/ideas from the chosen text
Possible points: 15
____________
3.
Creative thinking in solving the specific world
problem
Possible points: 25
____________
Clear expression of the idea Possible points: 5
____________
4.
Total points for essay out of a possible 60
____________